Forever Never Came
by BlakeEllenJ
Summary: Slight AU where Martha Wayne and Alfred were in love. Also Thomas is a terrible human being. Alfred Pennyworth is in love with Martha Wayne. Martha Wayne was in love with Alfred Pennyworth. He can't bring himself to visit her grave but 25 years later he finally does.


Ok so sorry that this may be a little OOC. I kinda went wild with Thomas Wayne since I haven't seen anything he's in. Also I wanted to make him suck. So I did.

It took Alfred years before he could visit the Wayne graves. When Bruce was young, he would wait in the car stating that he wanted to give Bruce time to grieve on his own. They both knew this wasn't true, but faithful to the Wayne way, he never pushed. It was only when Bruce was buried alongside his parents that Alfred went. He told himself it was for Bruce. He told himself it was for the boy he had known and cared for for 33 years and not for his mother, but he knew that wasn't true. It wasn't long until he found the graves of his former employers and makeshift family. He payed his respects to Bruce first. He laid a black rose down at the grave. He would have gotten a red one except he figured that the brooding young man would have preferred black. He never would have imagined that he would outlive young Master Wayne, old as he was yet here he stood at his grave. The headstone was simple. Alfred made sure of that. Dick had tried to convince him to tell everyone who Batman was, but he refused.

"They'll figure it out eventually." The young boy had said, "I mean Bruce Wayne dies and then Batman suddenly stops fighting criminals."

"Leave it to me Master Grayson, I'll take care of it." And he did. He published that Bruce had been shot by The Joker as an innocent bystander in a fight between him and The Batman. And because of this Bruce's headstone read merely "Beloved philanthropist and friend." Alfred said a few words to the simple stone. He talked about the joy of watching the sad boy become the bravest man he had ever known. He told the empty air that there was no greater honor than being the caretaker of Gotham's guardian angel. He stopped it there though. Bruce was never one for sentiment and Alfred didn't want to make him uncomfortable, even in death. Then, after a deep breath he turned to face the grave of Martha Wayne.

"Hello love." He whispered. The bouquet he had picked up had finally reached its home. As he laid it down the tears he had help back for so many years began to spill from his old eyes. "Oh Martha, why did you have to die? You had to die and leave me here all alone. I loved you so much. No. I _love_ you so much. I never stopped and I never will. I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner but I couldn't bring myself to face undeniable proof that you are really gone. That that bastard really took you away from me. All I've got now are memories." Alfred was always so composed. The stabilizer to the madness of the world, but there was no one for him to put the mask on for anymore. There was no one for him to pretend to be whole for anymore. There were so many more things he had planned to tell her but he was crying too much to get them out.

"It's ok Alfred." The voice of Martha Wayne appeared to comfort him. He turned to look and saw her standing there, just as he last saw her and still so beautiful.

"Martha?" He managed to choke out through the tears. He knew it was only a grief driven hallucination but it was comforting none the less. She nodded and laughed at him as though she couldn't imagine him asking such a ridiculous question. God how he had missed that laugh.

"Sit with me?" He asked, though it sounded more like pleading than actual asking. She sat and layed her head on his shoulder.

"I've missed you." She whispered. Her voice cracked as though she was close to tears.

"I've missed you more." He smiled remembering how it was a game they had played early in the affair. One of them would say I love you and the other would try to argue that they loved the other more. It was childish but they had fun with it and it never failed to make Martha smile which was all Alfred really wanted anyway. All he ever wanted.

"Do you remember the first time you said 'I love you' to me?" Martha asked as if Alfred had not replayed the moment in his head at least once every day. It had started out as any normal date for the two. Well as normal as a date could be for the butler and his very married girlfriend. They were taking a walk through Wayne Manors extensive gardens. They made sure their dates looked like something that wouldn't be out of the ordinary for them to be doing. Thomas knew the two were good friends so had he stopped drinking long enough to notice his wife and his butler walking together, it wouldn't have seemed odd. Martha was two months pregnant at the time and just beginning to show. The glow that comes from being pregnant only added to the beautiful woman's natural radiance. To Alfred, she looked more beautiful than she ever had, even though she was carrying the child of a man he secretly despised. Or so he thought.

"Alfred I have to tell you something." She had said, shame clearly written on her flawless face.

"Anything love." The man replied, taking his lovers hand and sitting her down on a nearby bench.

"It's about the baby." She whispered looking down at her slightly protruding belly. This was the last thing Alfred wanted to hear. He wanted to mention of the progeny of that drunken, no good, cold-hearted… "It's not Thomas'"

"What?" Alfred almost fell out of his seat from pure joy. If the baby didn't belong to Dr. Wayne, then logically it must be his right?

"This baby is not my husbands." She repeated slowly.

"Do you mean…" He asked cautiously. A smile crept on to Martha's face and she nodded. Alfred couldn't contain his joy. He was going to be a father. He picked Martha up and spun her around, nearly forgetting about his unborn child growing within her. She squealed with delight. It was obvious she was just as happy as he was that this child did was his and not her husbands. He put her down and held her at arm's length, just looking at her beautiful eyes.

"Martha Kane," He said using her maiden name as to remove Thomas from this situation as much as possible. "I love you."

"I love you more." She said and kissed him. It was their best kiss.

Just remembering that day brought tears once more to Alfred's eyes. He looked over to Bruce's grave. _His son's_ grave.

"I'm sorry I let him die Martha." Alfred whispered to the apparition still sitting beside him.

"It's not your fault." She said seriously. "There's no way you could have stopped him from becoming Batman." He knew she was right and yet he still felt he was to blame for their son's death. "He did this because we died."

"I should have at least tried to stop him. I _helped_ him Martha." Guilt was washing over him like a wave destroying a sand castle.

"That's the best thing you could have done." Martha looked at him with so much love in her eyes. All the love he had missed the last 25 years.

"I promised you we would be together forever Martha." Alfred whispered remembering the moment he had done just that. It was the day she and Thomas had brought Bruce home from the hospital.

"Look at him Alfred!" Dr. Wayne had exclaimed, "He looks just like me!"

"Spitting image sir." Alfred said using all his willpower not to rip his son from that vile man's hands.

"I'm going to put him in his crib and have a drink. Alfred, take Martha to bed she needs to rest." Thomas then made his way to the nursery with the newborn Bruce. The second he was out of sight, Martha threw herself into Alfred's arms.

"I missed you Alfred." She whispered, holding on tight to his strong torso.

"I missed you more Martha." He kissed her forehead lovingly and led her to her bedroom to rest. As he layed her down she looked up at him and asked through a yawn if he would always be with her.

"I promise." He said softly, "I'll be with you forever."

"I did have you forever." Martha reminded him, jolting him from his memories. Her attempt at humor was lost on the sad man.

"_I promised._" He said through gritted teeth. It hurt him every day that he had not kept his promise. Soon anger was replaced again by sadness. "I promised forever, but forever never came."

"Alfred it's ok." Martha soothed. Though it did not work. Tears were once more freely flowing out of his eyes. "Come with me, and we will have forever." She stood up and took his hands. Shakily, he got to his feet.

"Forever and ever?" He asked

"Forever and ever." She replied.

Alfred Pennyworth died sitting between the graves of the two people he loved most in the world.


End file.
